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Put aside thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.

As NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

This situation creates the possibility that there might not be a game held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a giant exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not just about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about testing concession stands, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

Despite the postponements and worries, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey league permitting its players to compete in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.